The high-stakes math of the WPL league stage has finally been solved. Delhi Capitals secured their place in the 2026 Eliminator with a gritty five-wicket victory over UP Warriorz, a result that officially ends the reign of defending champions Mumbai Indians.
The tone was set on the very first ball of the match. Chinelle Henry produced a peach of an outswinger to trap UPW captain Meg Lanning for a golden duck. From there, it was the Marizanne Kapp show.
Sensing blood, Jemimah used Kapp’s entire four-over quota by the 10th over.
Kapp prised out Deepti Sharma, debutant Charli Knott, and the dangerous Deandra Dottin to finish with 3/30.
No UPW batter crossed 25, though a late cameo from Shikha Pandey (23 off 13)* helped push the total to a defendable 122.
For 15 overs, Delhi looked like they were strolling toward a victory parade. Laura Wolvaardt (47 off 36) rode her luck after being dropped twice, while Shafali Verma played a mature, restrained knock.
Just as the finish line appeared, DC’s middle order blinked.
Shafali Verma (29) holed out.
Marizanne Kapp fell for a big shot.
Chinelle Henry poled a catch back to the bowler.
DC slumped from 84/1 to 101/5, leaving Mumbai Indians fans momentarily hopeful in the waiting room. However, Jemimah Rodrigues (34 off 18)* extinguished those hopes with a series of crisp sweeps and inside-out lofts to seal the win with seven balls to spare.
With the league stage concluded, the bracket for the business end of WPL 2026 is set:
The Eliminator (Feb 3): Gujarat Giants vs. Delhi Capitals Venue: Kotambi Stadium, Vadodara.
The Final (Feb 5): Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs. Winner of Eliminator
We made heavy weather of it, but getting the job done is what matters. We’ve made the playoffs in every edition, and now we have two games to change that 'runner-up' tag.
Jemimah Rodrigues, DC Captain
